Legal Aid Institute Asks that Anti-Communism Article be Annulled
Tuesday, 19 December, 2006 | 12:39 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Bandung: The Legal Aid Insitute (LBH) urged the annullment of Decree No. 27/1999 on Criminal Code Revision. “Especially the Article that regulates crime against the state,” said Arif Yogiawan, representing the institute in Bandung yesterday (18/12).

The Article that states the penalty should be over five years’ imprisonment, he said, violates human rights especially the freedom of thinking and expression, which are guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution. “We believe that this abolishes the freedom to give opinion, to think and to be convinced,” he said.

He explained that the request is based on the arrest of speakers, committee and participants of the discussion on Marxism last week in Bandung. The event committee was threatened to be indicted by Article 107 paragraph a which prohibits spreading Leninism, Marxism and communism. Such an Article is what legitimizes the police officers to end the discussion.

Arif is of the opinion that this Article can be widened by the police to prohibit anything e related to communism, including scientific discussion. The discussion in Bandung is an example. Both the committee and the speakers have said from the start that the discussion is not to support communism, but to talk critically about the ideology.

The police have already released eleven people arrested for statements. However, LBH as a legal team wants the police stop the case and not prosecute them. LBH even wants to know the police’s reason for arresting the eleven people. “A legal team will ask for the police statement,” he said.

The legal team will also try to revoke the police line that made Ultimus bookstore unable to open as usual.

Until yesterday, the police line was still installed at the bookstore’s building on Jalan Lengkong Besar, Bandung. Moreover, LBH Bandung will also ask for the goods seized by the police when suspending the Marxism discussion at the bookstore last week.

The Central Bandung Subdistrict Police Chief, Adjunct Chief Commissioner Mashudi, acknowledged he did not know when the police line will disband. “The authority is at the Bandung Regional Police,” he said.

Ahmad Fikri